Jeannette to honor late Tre Cunningham at season opener

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, September 10, 2020 | 7:30 PM

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Jeannette will honor former standout Tre Cunningham at its football season opener Friday night against Clairton.

The Jayhawks will wear “TC 6” stickers on the back of their helmets in memory of Cunningham, a three-sport athlete who was killed in a motorcycle accident in July along Route 130 near Jeannette.

Cunningham, who was attending La Roche where he played baseball, wore No. 6 for Jeannette’s football team and was an impact player at receiver, defensive back and kicker.

In addition, the team will carry Cunningham’s game jersey onto the field before kickoff at McKee Stadium.

Cunningham was the Tribune-Review Westmoreland County player of the year in baseball and basketball, and also won athlete of the year.

“There weren’t many kids like Tre to play here,” Jeannette coach Roy Hall said. “He played baseball, basketball and football was a great in all three. And he was a great student-athlete, teammate and kid to be around.

“At the funeral, Pastor Roy Aiken said how he didn’t get to know Tre personally, but that through talking to his friends and family, he knew what kind of kid he was. And that he had a tattoo on his arm that said, ‘Stay Humble.’ He said, ‘How many kids have a tattoo like that?’”

Jeannette’s current seniors were freshmen when Cunningham was a senior. Cunningham used to pick up teammates and drive them to practice.

Friday’s game is highly anticipated for a number of reasons, not the least of which being that the teams, at one point, did not think there would be a season at all due to covid-19 restrictions.

Hall agreed this is one of the biggest season and home openers in team history.

Fans will be limited to senior parents only due to the state’s 250-person limit on outdoor gatherings.

Clairton is ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL and state in Class A, while Jeannette is No. 4 in the WPIAL.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Jeannette